Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Clinton County, Iowa

57 tornadoes have crossed Clinton County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 9th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 34. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
57
Deaths
2
Injuries
34
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 11, 1965

The deadliest in Clinton County

  1. F3, Clinton County, IowaJune 20, 19741 killed, 20 injured
  2. F4, Cedar, Clinton and Jackson counties, IowaApril 11, 19651 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Cedar, Clinton and Jackson counties, IowaApril 11, 1965F4, 91.5 mi (147 km)
  2. F3, Scott and Clinton counties, IowaMay 8, 1988F3, 32.0 mi (51 km)
  3. F3, Clinton County, IowaJune 20, 1974F3, 10.6 mi (17 km)
  4. EF2, Scott and Clinton counties, IowaMarch 6, 2017EF2, 34.7 mi (56 km)
  5. F2, Clinton and Whiteside counties, Iowa and IllinoisJuly 27, 1995F2, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  6. EF2, Cedar, Scott and Clinton counties, IowaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 19.6 mi (31 km)
  7. EF2, Clinton County, IowaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  8. F2, Clinton and Jackson counties, IowaNovember 9, 1975F2, 13.6 mi (22 km)
  9. F2, Clinton County, IowaJuly 27, 1995F2, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  10. F2, Clinton County, IowaMarch 22, 1991F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 31 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Clinton County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20242EF1
202333EF2
20201EF0
20191EF0
20182EF0
20175EF2
201643EF1
20152EF1
20101EF0
20083EF0
20041F1
20022F0
20011F0
19973F0
19962F1
19954F2
19911F2
19901F1
19882F3
19871F1
19851F1
19841F0
19811F1
197911F1
19771F0
197524F2
19741120F3
19721F0
19673F2
1965113F4

Every tornado that crossed Clinton County

57 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Iowa. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2, 20265:25 PM CDTEF1Clinton18.1250
August 11, 20268:29 AM CDTEF0Clinton0.30
May 24, 20248:21 AM CDTUnratedClinton0.310
May 24, 20247:45 AM CDTEF1Scott15.350
July 28, 20239:16 PM CDTEF0Whiteside to IL1.020
March 31, 20235:50 PM CDTEF2Clinton18.03501
March 31, 20235:18 PM CDTEF2Cedar19.62002
May 23, 20201:20 PM CDTEF0Clinton1.220
August 18, 20195:40 AM CDTEF0Clinton0.120
August 28, 20187:09 PM CDTEF0Scott4.125
August 20, 20183:49 PM CDTEF0Clinton0.515
July 26, 20176:06 PM CDTEF0Clinton1.325
March 6, 201710:40 PM CSTEF0Clinton4.450
March 6, 201710:19 PM CSTEF2Scott34.7200
March 6, 201710:18 PM CSTEF1Cedar16.6100$110,000
February 28, 20173:53 PM CSTEF0Clinton0.025
May 31, 201610:04 AM CDTEF0Clinton0.010
March 15, 20167:57 PM CDTEF1Clinton3.4300
March 15, 20167:49 PM CDTEF1Clinton1.4753$50,000
March 15, 20167:34 PM CDTEF0Clinton1.250
April 9, 20155:40 PM CDTEF1Clinton to IL12.575
April 9, 20155:04 PM CDTEF1Scott22.4100$20,000
June 5, 20108:00 PM CDTEF0Clinton0.4100
August 4, 20085:47 PM CDTEF0Clinton8.0250$250,000
July 10, 20082:42 PM CDTEF0Clinton0.025
July 10, 20082:10 PM CDTEF0Clinton3.4100$125,000
April 20, 20047:08 PM CDTF1Clinton1.3100$30,000
September 29, 20026:50 PM CDTF0Clinton1.010
February 7, 200211:45 AM CSTF0Clinton0.120
April 15, 20013:15 PM CDTF0Clinton0.110
April 30, 19974:45 PM CDTF0Clinton0.110
April 30, 19974:45 PM CDTF0Clinton0.110
April 30, 19974:40 PM CDTF0Clinton2.020$40,000
May 10, 19962:40 AM CDTF1Clinton5.0100$1.0 million
April 19, 19968:17 PM CDTF0Clinton0.225
July 27, 19955:54 PM CDTF0Clinton0.333$500 to $5,000
July 27, 19955:49 PM CDTF2Clinton to IL20.0400$50,000 to $500,000
July 27, 19955:42 PM CDTF2Clinton5.560$5,000 to $50,000
July 27, 19955:28 PM CDTF2Clinton10.570$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 19918:00 PM CSTF2Clinton7.060$500,000 to $5 million
March 13, 19904:55 PM CSTF1Scott13.073$50,000 to $500,000
August 8, 19884:30 PM CDTF0Clinton0.513$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19883:43 PM CDTF3Scott32.0150$5 million to $50 million
July 29, 19874:30 PM CDTF1Clinton2.023$50,000 to $500,000
May 14, 19856:05 PM CDTF1Clinton0.220
April 12, 198411:20 AM CSTF0Clinton0.110$500 to $5,000
April 4, 198112:30 AM CSTF1Scott20.550$500,000 to $5 million
August 5, 19796:25 PM CDTF1Clinton1.33001$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19777:15 PM CDTF0Clinton0.110
December 14, 19754:35 AM CSTF1Clinton7.010$5,000 to $50,000
November 9, 19757:15 PM CSTF2Clinton13.62004$50,000 to $500,000
June 20, 19745:45 PM CDTF3Clinton10.6200120$500,000 to $5 million
August 1, 19729:15 PM CDTF0Clinton1.050$5,000 to $50,000
January 24, 19675:15 PM GMT-6F2Clinton1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
January 24, 19675:15 PM GMT-6F2Clinton0.1100$50,000 to $500,000
January 24, 19674:45 PM GMT-6F2Clinton2.0150$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 196512:55 PM GMT-6F4Cedar91.520013$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

Warnings in force in Clinton CountyThe forecast for Clinton CountyThe live radar over Clinton CountyEvery county in Iowa

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.